


The Single Second Chance

by birdsongblue



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-05
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-05-18 07:03:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5903260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/birdsongblue/pseuds/birdsongblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*NOW COMPLETE*</p><p>After trying and failing to keep the black hole generator from falling into Triceraton hands, the turtles prepare to make their final stand back on Earth. Everyone begins questioning if saving their planet will be worth the sacrifices they will be forced to make. </p><p>Is living on a world without those you love something YOU would be willing to risk?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

No one dared to breathe as the ship approached the small blue planet. There were merely 24 hours before the Triceratons would reach their home, and after that...

Donnie gulped. They had to find a way to prevent their planet's destruction. He glanced at April, whose face held a grim, steely expression of determination. Mikey was beside her, chewing on his lower lip in concern. 

Casey was sitting down against the wall, tapping the tip of his hockey stick against the hollow, metal wall. The repetitive clanging halted as the leader of the group spoke up. 

"A-alright guys." 

The group jumped, startled out of heir hazy thoughts brought on from seeing their home looking so peaceful and unaware of the dangers that were coming. 

"We all know the plan," Leo continued nervously. "We need to keep in mind that we are from the future, so we can't make our presence known to anyone. We can't afford to make any more mistakes."

Donnie winced, knowing that his brother was referring to their long months in space that had been completely wasted. All of their efforts to keep the black hole generator pieces from the Triceratons, and they had lost them in the end. 

Raising his hand tentatively Donnie cleared his throat. "Actually Leo, I'm not completely positive that anything would actually happen if anyone saw us. Even if we saw ourselves, I really doubt that it would cause an issue. Technically speaking, we are a complete anomaly in the time stream. We aren't supposed to exist, but if nothing has happened to us yet, I don't think that it will." 

Leo nodded slightly, still standing firm with resolve. "Thats all good, but I don't want to chance it. In season 2, episode 24 of Space Heroes, Captain Ryan-" 

He stopped speaking suddenly as Raph scoffed in disbelief. "Say, Leo. Weren't you the one that reminded us that life isn't like a video game? Well, I have some news for you. It isn't like some television show either."

Leo turned to splay his hand across the cold, curved glass of the Fugitoid's ship. "I know, Raph. I am not willing to take chances here. This operation must go perfectly, or earth will be lost."

Mikey spoke up in a small voice. "W-what about Master Splinter?" 

A nearly inaudible gasp went through the room, and all eyes turned toward Leo. The unanswered question had been asked, and Donnie winced. This was not going to be pretty. 

Leo bowed his head, eyes shut tight. He willed his voice not to waver as he answered his baby brother. "S-Splinter can't be our priority. If we can't save the earth, then there would be no point in saving our Father." 

The room was dead silent as Leo's words sank in. Before the suffocating silence was broken, Leo jerked away from the group. 

With a choked sound, he turned and hurried out of the room, clenched fists trembling at his sides. Raph growled and started after him, only to be stopped as Donnie grabbed his wrist. "He's right Raph. We have to focus on one thing at a time." 

Raph wrenched his arm out of his younger brother's gentle hold and rounded on him, anger blazing in his eyes. With a feral, wordless shout, he sent Don sprawling to the floor. "DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT DAD? OH, WAIT. YOU JUST RELY ON LOGIC." 

Donnie blinked in shock, struggling to catch his breath, when suddenly Raph had his back to him and was thundering away. 

Donnie climbed to his knees and called after him. "Raph, we will save Splinter, I promise." Raph continued down the hall, not even acknowledging that he had heard the lanky turtle. 

Donnie turned his head as he heard a sniffling sound, and was met with the sight of Mikey, kneeling in front of April with his head buried in her knees as she comforted him. 

A cool anger rose in his chest as he cursed those who had torn their lives apart. As he stood to leave, he looked Casey in the eye. After making a silent agreement that Casey would stay with Mikey and April, Don walked to the small room that temporarily belonged to him. 

He sat heavily down on the floor and glared at the darkened celling and began to mutter. After going over the calculations quietly, Donatello made up his mind. 

Their father would live. He would make sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Time seemed to stop as the Fugitoid's tinny voice sounded throughout the ship. "I have engaged the ship's cloaking and am preparing to descend into New York." 

Leo glanced up from his phone, and quickly forced down the lump in his throat before hurrying out of his room, leaving the phone on his small bed. The screen glowed brightly as Leo shut the door, displaying the smiling faces of the four turtles and their father.

As he passed through the doorframe, he saw Raph and Don also emerging from their small quarters. With a huff, Raph turned quickly away from Leo and jogged into the control room. 

Leo sighed, prompting Don to walk over and slink his arm around Leo comfortingly. "It will be okay Leo," he said softly. "Raph is just having a hard time dealing with...well, everything. You know how his anger is..."

Leo nodded, refusing to meet Don't eyes as he stared at the floor. The genius's words were too painful, too familiar, too much like their father... 

Images of Splinter crying out, of his father's eyes landing upon the twin blades protruding from his chest before crumpling wordlessly to the ground replayed endlessly in Leo's mind. Shutting his eyes tightly, he tried not to think about the complete and utter silence that followed. 

That devastating silence had brought horrible grief to his family; he saw the raw hurt where his brothers tried to hide it. Everyone knew that the current Splinter was alive and well, but those who had witnessed Splnter's death would never be able to shake their last memories of him from their minds. 

Leo allowed himself to lean his head onto his younger brother's shoulder as they made their way slowly down the hall. Before turning the corner, Don gently pulled away, putting some distance between himself and his leader. 

Leo squared his shoulders and walked into the brightly lit room. He caught his breath at the sight directly outside the window of the Fugitoid's ship. Buildings were raising up into their line of sight as they dropped slowly from the sky. 

The others were sitting on the ground, their faces pressed against the glass as they peered at the city below them. 

"Look!" Mikey called out in excitement. "There's Central Park!" he looked down to the left and gasped. "Its Mr. Murakami's place!" 

He turned to Leo, his eyes wide and pleading. "I haven't had pizza gyoza in forever!"

Before Leo could speak, Raph reached over and whacked Mikey upside the head. 

"OW," Mikey squeaked and turned to his brother. "What was that for?"

"We're on a mission Mikey! Does the end of the world ring a bell to you?" 

Casey snickered from his crouched position on the floor, and was promptly cut off by a sharp kick to the shin from Aril. "Ouch..." 

"Bur Raph..." whined the youngest turtle, "we can't have the end of the world without pizza gyoza..."

"Yes, we can." Leo walked over and placed a comforting hand on Mikey's shoulder. "I know that it's stressful Mikey, but we need to stay focused." 

The orange banded turtle's head lowered in defeat. "Fine, but can we at least go to Murkami's place after we stop the Triceratons?"

Leo let out a gusty sign and relented. "Sure, Mikey," he said with a small smile, "after we stop the Triceratons."

The buildings continued to rise when, unexpectedly, they jerked to a stop. The group looked quickly to the Fugitoid in confusion. 

"What happened Professor?" Donatello asked anxiously. "We aren't to the ground yet...oh." He trailed off as realization struck. 

"We have landed on top of a building," the Fugitoid stated as he walked briskly over to the window, his gears whirring a high pitched tone. "I do say, I don't think I could have fit my ship in one of those..alleyways."

Fugitoid pressed a button on the smooth wall of the ship, and the doors slid open. As the docking path descended to meet the roof's pavement, everyone jolted and looked towards the doorway as many familiar sounds and smells drifted in. 

The group stood frozen in shock as they were bombarded by lingering cigarette smoke and city smog, as well as the sounds of angry traffic that were filtering into the ship's cabin. 

...Things that they had previously thought would be gone forever. 

"Well, come on then." Fugitoid said as he walked down the metal path. "You do want to save Earth after all."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

April stepped out of the ship and was overcome by many emotions. She could feel them...all the lives that had been extinguished that day. They were alive, thinking, feeling, and living. 

Tears stung in her eyes and she let out a laugh. "I can...I can feel my dad!" She spun to face her adopted family in excitement. "I can feel them! The people..."

April's hands came up to clasp over her mouth as tears ran down her cheeks. She had known. They all had. Earth was safe for the moment, but it was different to be standing back in their city, in the middle of the bustling life. 

The mixed looks of concern and of understanding sent her way made her stop short. 

All this life could soon end. 

April felt the blood drain from her face and a feeling of nausea settled in her stomach. She fell to her knees as anxiety overtook her. 

"Oh...oh my gosh." 

All of these people, there were many more than just the ones she could feel. They were all on the line. Families, with parents, and children and siblings. Millions of families were at stake, and she was a part of the only group that could prevent those lives from disappearing.

She felt hands holding her shoulders and patting her face as she sobbed. she blinked and saw warm, calming brown eyes looking worriedly at her through her dark, spotty vision.

"April, what's wrong?" the voice was soothing, and she leaned into the palm resting on her cheek, hiccuping softly. 

"I-I," April swallowed as her voice wavered. "I guess...I just realized h-ow much is at stake here."

She was suddenly embraced by four pairs of strong arms, her body pressed tightly between the warm plastrons of their owners. Startled by the force of the hug, she felt her breath rush out of her with a tiny squeak. 

No words were said, but she could feel the strong sense of comfort they were sending her way. She bit her lip as the tears came back, but they came for a completely different reason. 

She took a slow, deep breath as she was released and pushed back a stray clump of hair from her face. "I-Im fine." April stood quickly, her knees shaking slightly. 

Mikey held a steadying hand on her elbow, wanting to be there if she stumbled. April noticed the gesture, but didn't have any desire to refuse it. She had never felt such a strong sense of safety before, and she wasn't ready to give that up yet. 

Leo looked to her questioningly and she nodded. "I'm fine Leo, really." 

His worried expression softened slightly and he turned to the Fugitoid. "What time is it here?"

The Fugitoid brought up a projection that displayed the time. "It is approximately, what you would call, 6:30 am in Earth hours."

Leo turned and got into a determined stance, signaling that it was time to get serious. 

"Alright guys." He looked herd at Donnie to see if e was correct. "Around this time, we were rigging up the balloon. We met Bishop at the meat house last night, and we are preparing to bring down the Technodrome before the Triceratons get to earth."

Donnie nodded and stepped forward to stand next to his older brother. "That means that the Triceratons will broadcast their announcement shortly after the Technodrome comes out of the water."

Everyone nodded, including Mikey, who had a surprisingly concentrated look on his face. Raph nudged the youngest anyways and muttered under his breath. "Are you getting this Mikey?" 

The orange banded turtle nodded confidently. "Yep. The other us's are getting ready to blow up the Technodrome, and then the other me will get zapped by one of those robot security things."

Casey spoke up fro the back of the group. "Well, he's not wrong, and it sounds like he got the gist of it..."

Mikey suddenly gasped as a thought came to his mind. "Wait! this means that I could be older than the other Leo!" He turned to Raph, whose eye was twitching in irritation. 

"Wait! If I'm from the future..." Mikey said in awe, "then that means I could be a big brother to all the other you's!"

Everyone sighed and turned back to Donnie, who was pinching the bridge of his nose, a look of intense pain written across his face. 

"Aaanyways..." Leo said, bouncing on the balls of his feet a bit. "We need to make a list of which points in time would be the best to alter the time stream." 

Donnie raised a pointed finger as he spoke. "The soonest point in time that would be beneficial to attempt to alter...would probably be when the other versions of ourselves try to take down the Technodrome." 

Guaging everyone's reactions, Donnie continued when no one objected. "Last time, the Triceratons arrived much sooner than we expected, so we are going to need a better plan."

Leo agreed, looking a little embarrassed. "Yeah...the plan last time didn't work so well."

Donnie sat down on the rooftop and reached into the duffel bag on his shoulder. As he pulled out a large roll of paper, he looked up at the rest of the group. 

"Well, don't let anything stop you. I don't really want to be the only one sitting down guys," he said awkwardly. 

At that, everyone joined the genius on the ground, crowding around the paper he was spreading out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. I found out that I really need to go back and watch Annihilation Earth again. And again...until I memorize every little detail! (not that it won't be enjoyable, because I will definitely enjoy it)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry. This is the longest period of time I have ever had between updates. I got pretty sick, but then I got kdnapped by a couple of other fandoms. 
> 
> Anyways. Here is chapter 4, and I will try to do better in the near future.

Raph threw up his hands and walked to the edge of the roof, his back towards the group. They needed to decide on a plan, and they needed to do it quickly. 

Leo and Don had been going at it. Again. Raph rolled his eyes as the question came up yet again. Hadn't they learned last time that it didn't help anyone when they argued?

"Leo," Donnie started again. "We can't afford to do things so covertly. Think about it! If we can get our other allies involved earlier-" 

Leo shook his head and opened his mouth, ready to combat the argument yet again. "No. We can't be seen Donnie. It isn't that your plan is bad, we just can't mess around thi-"

With a loud groan, Raph spun on them, deciding he had enough of the roundabout discussion. 

"LEO, just THINK about this for a minute! If we get seen, then it WILL change the future. Isn't that what we WANT to happen?"

He watched as Leo visibly tensed before glaring over his shoulder. "Look, I'm not going to explain it again. We are going to do this the safe way, MY way....and there are NO exceptions." 

Leo shot a sharp look of finality towards Donatello before standing up and brushing the gravel off of his knee pads. 

April glanced sympathetically at Donnie, who was rolling up his papers in stiff, jerky moments. The rest of the group had grudgingly gotten up to follow Leo, and April let out a little gasp of surprise as the normally gentle turtle looked up. 

Cold determination radiated from his hardened eyes. Waves of rebellious energy were coming off the turtle, and April felt a tight knot of worry form in the pit of her stomach. 

She reached a hand to his tall shoulder and stammered his name hesitantly. "D-Donnie?" 

He jumped and looked down at her, his eyes immediately softening, and the turbulent atmosphere surrounding him warming considerably. "Huh?" 

"Just...don't do anything rash, please?" 

Don felt his resolve waver as April looked at him pleadingly. "April, we need to stop the Triceratons. Rash actions will be necessary." 

Lowering his voice, he continued. "April, have you thought about what might happen when today is over?"

A cold shock of fear went through her as the topic was brought up. "Y-yeah. I've thought about it a lot," she admitted softly. "Do you have any ideas?"

She tilted her head up to watch the lanky turtle. He glanced up at the sky before speaking. "There are multiple possibilities April. The most logical theory is that we would simply fade out of existence as soon as time meets itself. From there, many different things could happen..."

April walked closer and wrapped her arms around him. "Donnie, I believe that we will be alright, no matter what happens. If this version of ourselves has to disappear so the other ones can live happily, I would do it again in an instant." 

She closed her eyes as his chin came down to rest on her head, a slight shiver running through her as his breath ruffled her hair. April pulled away slightly to glance up into Donnie's face before taking his hand. 

"Come on, let's go fix this."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo sighed as he watched the interaction between April and his younger brother. He knew that Don understood. 

"Fugitoid." He started, his voice coming out a lot rougher than he intended it to. The small robot - no, cyborg - turned back to him. "Yes?"

Studying him carefully, Leo asked. "Do you think it will work? Cloaking the Tecnodrome?"

The Fugitoid walked over to Leonardo with a small whirring sound before stopping in front of him. "I see the value in staying hidden. However, I believe that we will need more precautions. Remember, the Triceratons have overridden the cloaking before." 

Leo leaned against the side of the ship, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Yeah, but Don figured out how to stop that, right? Maybe if the Triceratons don't see the Technodrome, they won't attack as quickly. It will buy us more time..." 

Fugitoid nodded enthusiastically "Maybe we could attempt to move it as well."

Leo looked up sharply. "You're thinking that we should take control of the Technodrome...and pilot it out of the area?"

"Well, yes. You said before that the goal had been to prevent it from surfacing, and then to shoot it down. You were attempting to hide the Technodrome from the Triceratons, correct?"

Leo nodded slowly, his mind working through the information being presented to him. "This plan is...risky. We have managed to fly a Technodrome before, but the circumstances were way different."

"We know that both of your previous plans didn't work out," Fugitoid stated bluntly. "Our best bet at the moment would be to move the ship to a different location." 

Leo straightened, shoulders squaring in determination. "Okay. I'll try it. We'll see how it goes, and if it doesn't work, we still have the upper hand."

"We know how things are going to play out," Leo said as he turned to look towards the still ocean in the distance. 

"Besides, moving the ship is a lot less risky than actually being seen."

"Okay Leo. We'll try it your way." Don and April had walked up from behind them, having caught the last part of the conversation. 

Leo sighed in relief as he saw his younger brother's expression, which was looking much calmer than it had been earlier. 

He placed a hand on Don's shoulder and looked him in the eyes earnestly. "Thank you Donatello. If this doesn't work, I will need more of your help."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"There!" 

Everyone jumped at Casey's sudden cry, and they all looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, the turtle blimp was slowly rising in the air. Hundreds of tiny red lights could be seen blinking repeatedly from the bottom. 

Leo cleared his throat before speaking. "Alright, keep the cloaking on and get ahead of them. The others are inside the Technodrome already, so we need to move quickly." 

Quickly, the group worked on getting the ship into the air, maneuvering it into position. 

"Donnie," Leo called back over his shoulder. "As soon as we get into position above the Technodrome, me and you are going to go down and get in." 

Don nodded as he fastened the clasps to his helmet, securing the vital parts of the suit. "These babies worked in space, so they will definitely work in water."

As Leo worked on adjusting his own suit, he turned to Mikey. "Do you remember the plan?" 

April winced at the question, remembering the ten previous times they had gone over it for Mikey's sake. 

"Eheh...of course I do Leo! It's really important that I remember it...so how could I forget?" The smaller turtle rubbed the back of his head nervously, waiting for someone else to speak. 

Finally, Raph broke the silence. "He doesn't remember." 

"I do too remeber!" Mikey spun on Raph with mock anger in his eyes. 

"Oh, do you now? Please Mikey, do tell us the plan."

Mikey instantly straightened, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "We are going to take down...the Technodrome." 

A chorus of groans went through the ship, accompanied by several smacks of palms meeting their owner's foreheads. "Mikeeyy," Donnie groaned in anguish. 

"What?" Mikey yelled defensively. "I'm pretty sure that's right!"

"That part is right Mikey, but we all wanted a little more detail..." Leo planted himself in front of his youngest brother and clasped his face between his hands. 

"I need you to focus." 

Mikey looked down at Leo's hands distractedly. "Yer squirshing myr farce..."

"Focus Mikey! We are going to stop the Technodrome, and your part in the plan is very important."

His eyes brightened at the statement. "Erf curse it ish." 

Leo loosened his hold so that Mikey could speak a little more clearly. "Yeah. We all need you to do a very important job. You are going to help us move the Technodrome. Me and Donnie will be working on the cloaking, but you are the best with Kraang technology."

Mikey nodded sagely. "Yes. I am the best..."

Fighting back the urge to roll his eyes, Leo continued. "When the other versions of ourselves break into the engine room with the blimp, you will go with everyone else through the opening."

Mikey's head twisted to look at the people who would be in his group, and Leo gently turned his head back to look at him. "This is the MOST important part. Do. Not. Be. Seen. We can't let the other us's know we're here." 

Mikey waved his hand carelessly. "Psssh, come on Leo. We're ninjas. I will be like a shadow, completely invisible." 

Donnie cleared his throat from across the room. "Mikey, we won't be hiding from just anyone. We will be hiding from ourselves. We need to be more stealthy than anything we could detect on our own."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raph watched as his brothers dropped from the ship and into the water below. Leo briefly flashed a thumbs up before diving into the dark ocean. 

He looked back to April, who was watching the balloon behind them intently. "Guys, we need to get out of the way before the Technodrome comes up. We don't want to be anywhere near it's airspace, and we definitely don't want to get caught in the waves."

Raph grunted in irritation before stalking back to the ship's weapon controls. 

"So, basically we have to stay far enough ahead of the balloon, far enough away from the Technodrome, far enough above the water, but we still have to be close enough to get in without being seen."

He cracked his neck and grinned. "Sounds easy enough, right?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo felt his muscles strain as he propelled himself deeper into the water. A crackle of static in his ear alerted him of his comm activating, and he reached a hand up to his helmet to open the channel. 

"What's up Donnie?" His brother was just below him, his powerful kicks pushing him down. 

Without slowing his pace, Don's voice came through the helmet's speaker. "Leo, I just remembered that there is a sea monster living near here...how long ago did the sub pass through?" 

Leo gulped and looked around wildly. "I-I don't think it will pay any attention to us, it usually is just interested in the sub..." He trailed off awkwardly and felt his face flush.

Donatello's replying forced chuckle brought a slight grin to his face, knowing that his brother was thinking the exact same thing. "Heh...yeah, let's hope we don't get close to the sub."

Several minutes passed in near silence, with only the other's ragged breathing coming through the channel. "Huh...I miss the sub. Are we...huh...almost there Donnie?"

"Uh...yeah, huh...look up Leo." 

He quickly snapped his head up from his chest where he had let it fall in exhaustion. Leo let out a sharp gasp as the Technodrome filled his vision. "Woah!" 

Memories of the first invasion filled his mind as the huge ship's rings suddenly flickered to life. The ocean floor was briefly illuminated by the harsh pink glow before the Technodrome fell dark again with a low whine. 

"Looks like they're having some problems getting it up and running," Donnie quipped in a tired voice. The two pushed themselves the rest of the way before finding a hold on the seams between wide metal plating. 

Donnie reached into his belt and pulled out a small power cutter. "Let's get inside."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some of the ending written, but getting from point A to point B is so hard!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Leo shivered briefly before taking one hand off the metal plating. "Mind hurrying it up there Donnie?" He hissed through clenched teeth as he opened and closed his numb, cramping hand. 

"The water is cold," he added lamely. 

"I know Leo. I'm almost through...hah!" A small section of the plating shifted, and Don quickly kicked it inside. "Hurry, get in through the hole!"

Don straightened himself out and allowed his body to be pulled with the water flowing in through the space he created. Leo quickly followed as his brother disappeared from view. 

Leo was met with darkness as he passed through the hole, and his momentum was abruptly halted when his faceplate clanged off a hard surface. He was suddenly pushed downwards as the water pounded on his shell. 

Shooting his arms and legs out, he scrabbled at the smooth metal surfaces on either side of him before slowing to a stop. 

"Donnie!" He yelled frantically into the comm, unsure if his brother could hear anything over the pounding water. 

He winced as Don's voice answered him with the exact same volume. "I'm fine, you don't have to yell!" 

Leo sighed in relief before looking down. "Where are you?" he said, lowering his voice a bit. "It's too dark, I can't see you."

"I think I'm below you, I managed to stop my fall, but I'm pretty sure you are above me. The water flow isn't as concentrated as it was before."

Leo laughed. "Yeah, I guess I'm a glorified umbrella." He grunted softly as his foot slipped an inch downwards. "Speaking of, it's really pushing on me hard. What do we do about the flooding problem?"

A small panic settled in as the seconds ticked by with no response, and Leo opened his mouth to repeat the question. "Don, are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry. Um, do you have your grapple rope on you?"

"Don," Leo warned softly. "I have it, but I'm really stuck. I don't know if I can move..." He gulped and looked up, expecting the water to slide off his helmet. 

He gasped in shock as the water hit his face and filled the small space around his head. Leo quickly angled his head downwards, choking for breath as the water poured out of his broken helmet. 

"D-Don! My faceplate broke!"

His brother's alarmed voice rose an octave at the announcement. "What?! Leo, get down here now. I'll find a way up myself." 

Leo thought the idea over in his head before responding. "No, we don't have time to waste. I need to get you up here to seal the hole." 

He eased his weight onto his feet and right hand before finding the rope on his belt. Taking a deep breath, Leo steeled himself before tilting his face upwards again. The frigid water slammed into him again full force, and Leo slid his second eyelid into place. 

Donnie's voice warbled into his ear through the roar of the water as he found the small opening of light. Leo braced himself and shot the grapple hook through the water. 

A small clang sounded as the rope caught on the rough edge of the opening and Leo slammed his hand back against the wall before dropping his head. As the water spilled out of his helmet, Don's voice became clearer. 

"Leo! Leo? Are you alright?" The panic in his brother's voice faded as Leo's harsh coughing sounded through the channel. 

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Leo breathed deeply through his nose before looking to his left. 

"Look around Don. There should be a rope near the outside wall..."

The rope brushing against his arm suddenly pulled tight, and Leo shifted to avoid the press of the rope. 

A happy cry sounded in his ear as Don found the rope. "I've got it!" 

Leo looked down as the taunt rope shifted. As his legs began to shake, a faint outline came into view. "Donnie!" 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don looked up and gasped. Between the water pelting down on his faceplate and the darkness, he could barely make out his older brother. From what he could see, his brother was being barraged by the flood of ocean water, his hands and feet splayed out on either side. 

"Leo!" He wound the rope tightly in his hand and climbed up next to the exhausted turtle. 

"Hi," the shaky voice replied. Don peered at his brother and noted that he was trembling violently. From the cold or exhaustion, he didn't know. It was probably both. 

Donnie secured his grip on the rope before reaching one hand out to inspect Leo's faceplate. 

Feeling around the broken edges, he let out a low whistle. "Wow Leo. You really did a number on this thing." 

He ran his fingers over Leo's forehead and frowned, mapping out a knot forming there. "Alright, hang tight. I'm going to go weld this back in place." He patted the sheet of metal secured under his shoulder strap. "That should stop the water."

As he climbed up, Don called back down to Leo. "Grab the rope, it will be easier to anchor yourself on that than relying on the walls."

Leo eased one hand off the wall and grabbed the rope gingerly, glancing up to check on Don as soon as his head was clear of the water. 

Hissing, he forced his aching fingers to close around it and swung himself to the side. A loud thump echoed through the tight space as he let his shell slam back against the far wall, stabilizing himself by pressing both feet against the other wall. 

The change in position was wonderful. 

Finally, the torrent of water slowed to a stop, and Don eased his way back down. "That w-was fun, wasn't it?" 

Leo let out a rough chuckle that was broken by his chattering teeth. ""No. Not f-fun Donnie." 

Donatello patted his older brother on the shoulder and grinned. "Yeah, I didn't p-plan on falling either." 

Leo watched as Don mirrored his position above him and began fiddling with the welding tool in his hand. Just as his younger brother lifted it to the opposite wall to cut their way in to the circuitry, an impossibly loud whine ricocheted off the walls. 

Don's eyes grew wide and terrified, and he shouted desperately to his brother over the din. "Leo! Hold on, I think they fixed their engine problems!" They managed to wind their hands around the rope before the Technodrome lurched violently, sending them crashing against the walls. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raphs attention was drawn downwards as a flash of light caught his eye. "It's coming up!"

Everyone jumped into action at Raph's shout of warning, and the ship lurched upwards to get clear of the Technodrome's airspace. 

After glancing quickly back at the blimp behind them, Raph beckoned to the others. "Look down there."

Four pairs of eyes followed the pointed finger to gaze at the churning ocean below. A harsh pink glow was penetrating the water, filtering through the waves. 

"Oh no," April breathed. "They haven't gotten the cloaking on yet!"

The Fugitoid's flat voice penetrated the growing panic of the group. "No matter. We can still complete our part." 

A countdown flashed up on the holoscreen as the massive, domed surface of the Technodrome broke the surface. 

"Everyone, prepare to board the Technodrome."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Casey looked down at the balloon that was heading straight for the Technodrome. "I still think more explosives would have been better," he muttered under his breath.

April smirked as the balloon collided with the massive ship. "Well, be glad we didn't nuke the thing," she whispered back before turning her attention back to the small figures gliding into the smokey aftermath of the explosion.

"They're in," Mikey announced excitedly.

With the cloaking still in place, the group lowered the ship into the dense smoke.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don grunted as their rough fall slowed into a sloping skid. A similar sound that echoed through the tight space announced that Leo was nearby.

Donatello spluttered as he fell face first into a deep pool of water.

He pushed his feet along the curved floor until his hands and knees made contact and quickly pressed his head above the water.

"Well, now we know we made it to the bottom, right Leo?" Don muttered as he wiped the salty liquid from his face. His head snapped back at the eerie silence.

"Leo!" Don crawled in the shallow area, gripping the slick, curved surface underneath them as water sloshed around his elbows and legs. He frantically turned back to the deeper section as the seconds dragged by with no reply.

Finally, a loud splash sounded in the darkness, followed by a few light coughs.

Stilling his movements, Don willed the water to calm and yelled out over the din of the engines. "Leo, where are you?"

"A little to your left Donnie. You alright?"

"I'm fine," Donnie said as he moved in Leo's direction. He closed his eyes (they weren't any good to him in the dark) and started feeling through the water with his arms outstretched until he found Leo's shoulder.

"Leo, we need to hurry. The stupid thing just activated, and we have three, maybe four minutes left."

Leo felt his eyes widen, and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Crap."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikey pressed tight alongside the wall, quickly leading the group away from the battle raging just a room over.

"Alright, here's the plan. We get to a console, and you guys all cover me if we get found."

Casey shot a look at the youngest turtle. "Mikey, we can't get found. We could cause a time paradox or something!"

The teen blinked, only to find a green hand shoved in his face. "Yeah, yeah. I got this!" Casey smacked the hand down and narrowed his eyes at Mikey.

"Guys, seriously?!" April snapped from behind. "We need to get moving, I'm getting a weird feeling."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo watched as Don lowered the large metal plating off the wall to reveal a mass of intricate, flashing circuitry.

He carefully inched up alongside the genius, sending a sidelong glance towards him as he let out a low whistle.

"Do you think you will be able to get the cloaking on from here?" Leo asked nervously.

Don grinned and nodded before grabbing a grappling rope from his belt and hooking it onto the edge of the metal plating before tying it around his waist.

"I think I can. I've learned a lot from the professor during our time together, and I understand Kraang tech better than before."

Leo took ahold of the rope, stabilizing himself next to his brother. "Let's hope Mikey does too..."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A sharp gasp caused the group to falter and turn towards April. She had a hand clasped to her forehead, her eyes screwed tight.

Raph quickly moved towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "April, are you alright?"

The redhead was silent for a few moments, and Raph opened his mouth to repeat the question. Suddenly, April's blue eyes snapped open.

Her arm swung upwards as she pointed to the left. "That way," she announced. "We can find a main console down this hall.

Everyone gave a sharp nod and changed direction.

"Alright April! You're the best!" Mikey brushed quickly past her, delivering a light punch to the shoulder along the way.

A small smile crossed her lips at the small gesture. He was SO going to get a noogie when this was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been having a lot of difficulty connecting the timelines, but I'm finally getting somewhere. I think I've got things pretty much figured out now. :)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Raph grimaced as the grating sound of his teeth grinding together reached his ears. He loosened his jaw and cracked his neck, flipping the sais over in his tight grip. 

"You mind hurrying it up in there Mikey?" He called over his shoulder. His mental clock was screaming at him to get the job done. They didn't have much time left. 

The ship lurched suddenly, and Mikey let out a whoop. 

"You guys feel that?" Mikey asked excitedly. 

"Yes!" Everyone chorused simultaneously as the Technodrome shuddered again. 

Mikey grinned. "I'm doing that!" 

"Yeah," Raph agreed loudly. "Could you try to fly it and not just make us all sick?" 

Mikey laughed awkwardly. "Right. I'm on it."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo watched as Don fiddled with the glowing circuitry. His younger brother's tongue was peeking out as he worked. 

He glanced at the countdown displayed on his helmet and sighed. "How much longer Don?" 

Donnie turned his head a fraction towards Leo, moving to respond when a bright spark of electricity surged from the opened wire. 

A strangled sound flew from Don's mouth as his body stiffened. 

"Donnie!" Leo grabbed his brother's arm, ignoring the electric heat burning his hand, and jerked it away from the panel. He pressed his throbbing palm against Don's shell as he steadied his younger brother's tall frame. 

The purple banded turtle groaned and gripped the rope alongside Leo. "Okay, so I shouldn't touch that one again...what caused that power surge?" 

At that moment, the Technodrome lurched. 

"If I had to guess, I would say it was Mikey," Leo said as another shudder went through the ship. 

A strange weightless feeling hit them for a split second, and they glanced at each other with twin grimaces. "Well, I'm guessing he's having a hard time flying it. I think he just dropped us a little."

A shrill alarm went off in Leo's helmet, and suddenly it felt like there wasn't enough air. "D-Don. We just passed the one minute mark!"

The genius felt the blood drain from his face and he turned frantically back to the circuits.

"Nonono...." Don paused in his frantic fiddling and turned to Leo. "Comm Raph and the others. We need to abort. Tell them they need to get out, NOW!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raph heard the comm in his ear crackle to life. 

"Raph, we're out of time!" He winced as Leo's panicked voice cut into his skull. 

"Alright Leo, you two get out too. Fugitoid will pick you up." Raph clicked off the comm and turned back to the others. 

"Guys," he shouted. "Leo says we gotta move." 

Three pairs of eyes turned on him in horror and disbelief, so Raph raised his voice. "We are out of time. We need to get out before the Triceratons blow the Technodrome."

As if on cue, a deep voice rumbled through the Technodrome, announcing the Triceraton's arrival. 

April spoke up quietly. "That was Captain Mozar. Raph, what are we going to do?!" 

He looked at Mikey, who was desperately trying to work the controls, but to no avail. "Raph, I've been locked out!" 

"Oh man," Casey muttered darkly. "This totally sucks." 

With a deep breath, he hardened his face with determination. "Then that's our cue. We need to bail. Everyone, lets get back to the Fugitoid's ship." 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo looked up from the laser he was using to cut through the metal plating. "Don, what are you doing? We need to be ready for pickup!" 

The turtle in question waved an unconcerned had towards Leo. "I'm locking the controls. Sabotage is a lot easier than hacking." 

Leo shook his head and resumed cutting. "Okay, but what good will that do? The Technodrome didn't survive the Triceraton's death beam." 

Don snorted as he tore through a cable. "Death beam?"

"Well, what would you call it?" Leo asked defensively. "It is a better name than Mikey would have thought up."

"I would call it a laser cannon. it fits the purpose, and it makes sense." Don suddenly leaned back to inspect his work. "That should do it."

"Great," Leo said sarcastically. "Now come help cut through this. We need to make a way out."

Don sighed and slid over to Leo to cut in the other direction. "Leo, did you ever think about why the Kraang didn't fight back against the Triceratons? They didn't even move. Wasn't that a little odd?" 

Leo shrugged as the cut was completed. "I didn't really think about that. Maybe they knew their situation was hopeless?" 

The two brothers kicked the plating outwards, watching it spiral down into the ocean below. Leo put a hand up to his face as wind and light came up through the empty hole. "That's bright!"

Don winced and nodded. "Yeah, but Leo...maybe it was us that first time. It is extremely likely that we were actually present in the past...." He shook his head and sighed. "It really hurts my brain to think about it though."

Leo smacked Donnie's shoulder in mock irritation. "Yeah, so stop making mine hurt too. I'm kinda trying not to think too hard about this time travel stuff." 

Don chuckled a bit before sitting up straighter at a sudden voice in his ear. "Guys?"

Leo glanced over at Donatello and put his hand up to his helmet. "Go ahead Raph." 

"Leo, we made it back to the ship. Where are you? Fugitiod can't pinpoint your position."

Leo bent over and looked out the roughly cut hole to the ocean below. "We are somewhere around the bottom of the Technodrome. There is a hole in the plating." 

Don quickly chimed in. "It's on the north side. You should be able to find it easily enough." 

"Alright," Raph's voice answered. "Sit tight, we're on our way." 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raph nearly shouted in relief as the Fugitoid's ship emerged from the smoke. 

As everyone sprinted onto the ship, he did a quick head count before rushing up to the control room. 

"Fugitoid, get us out of here! We need to pick up Leo and Donnie before this stupid thing explodes!" 

"Alright Raphael," Fugitoid said in a placating tone. "Where are they located at?" 

"I don't know," he shouted as the ship flew farther away from the condemned Technodrome. "Can't you just trace them?"

"Normally, I could." Fugitoid let out a series of beeps as he attempted to trace the locator beacons. "Something is jamming their signals."

The ship slowly completed a large loop of the Technodrome when suddenly Mikey let out a terrified yelp. 

"Guys it's the triangle ship thingies! They're attacking!" 

The group turned to stare in fascination as the battle unfolded. Then, three Kraang ships emerged from the Technodrome. "Hey," Casey said with a slightly awed tone. "I think those ships are us!" 

Raph glanced over quickly from his conversation on the comms. "I just talked to Leo and Don. They are on the north side near the bottom." 

The professor nodded and turned back to the controls. "We need to hurry then."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Leo closed his eyes as a strong blast of air forced it's way into the hole. "I think they're here," Donnie shouted over the wind. 

As if on cue, the ship's shielding cut off, causing it to waver slowly into view. The docking hatch opened, revealing Raph and Casey just inside. 

"Get in NOW!" Leo took a quick look at the tight, panicked looks on their faces and quickly dropped out of the hole and onto the small walkway. Don landed immediately after and began shoving everyone away from the entrance. 

Leo sprinted into the control room and glanced up out the curved window. "uh, guys...we need to go. Like NOW!" 

As everyone became aware of the huge, glowing laser cannon directly overhead, the ship hummed to life and began speeding away. 

A cacophonous, deep thrumming rattled the ship before the shockwave hit. 

Muffled shouting reached Leo through the low vibrations assaulting his ears. The ship was filled with a blinding light that seemed to last for hours. Finally, the chaos died down and Leo pulled his arms away from his head, glancing around from his curled up position on the ground. 

Everyone followed suit, picking themselves up from where they had fallen, the shocked silence stretching on until Mikey let out a relieved laugh. "We're alive!"

"Yeah," Donnie said nervously. "But not for long!" 

They all turned to see what he was talking about and a disappointed groan went through the group. 

The Technodrome had landed back in the ocean, and now there was a huge wave racing towards them. 

A cheerful beep broke into the conversation as Honeycutt began setting a course. "Well isn't this fun? No matter, we'll be out of harm's way in no time." 

The ship blasted it's way upwards, barely getting clipped by the tip of the wave, before slowing to a stop. 

Leo slumped back onto the ground as the ship stilled, still rocking gently from the quick ascent. "What do we do now?" 

No one spoke for a full minute, so everyone jumped when the Professor spoke. "I believe I may have an option for our next course of action."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donatello stood on the edge of the building, looking on the darkened city. He quickly sat down as a heavy, suffocating feeling of dread filled his chest. 

He was partially paying attention to their next plan, but was quickly losing hope. Everything they had tried so far had failed. The Triceratons somehow anticipated their every move, and Don was getting tired of it. 

The current plan was the same way. He doubted that getting to Shredder before Splinter could was going to change anything, but they didn't have anything else to try. 

A small hand on his shoulder broke him out out of his thoughts suddenly. "Donnie, are you listening?" 

"Yeah," he said softly, turning to glance at April. "I'm just thinking." He took a deep breath before lowering his voice. "I'm not sure how effective this will be." 

April sat down next to him. "I know Donnie, but it's not like we can just wait and do nothing..."

"I know. I guess, to me, it still feels like we aren't doing anything. How would changing a small part in the time stream help any? Based on what I've seen, we were already here." Donnie bit his lip before glancing back down. 

"April, we aren't going to make a difference if we keep working behind the scenes. We need to do something unexpected...something crazy and obvious. If we can let our other selves know we are here, it would change everything." 

April sighed and the action ruffled her bangs slightly. "I don't know Dee. It seems really risky. Have you talked with Leo about this?" 

Humming in affirmation, Don stood up and began walking back towards the group. "Yeah, I have. I just think that the time for being careful was a long time ago. There is already so much risk involved, so what would a little more do?" 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo moved silently over the rafters in the old church. As he peered through the beams, he could see three shadowed figures watching him intently. With a slight movement of his hand, the group moved into position. 

Taking a quick glance to the large stained glass window, he saw April and Casey watching as well. 

After a full minute full of tension and bated breath, the four turtles came to a stop directly over the large chair at the end of the chamber. A large man was seated there, the sharp edges of his armor gleaming threateningly.

Leo felt a sudden, burning hate towards the man and he grit his teeth. This was their father's killer they were dealing with. A quick glance between the brothers confirmed that they were sharing the same thoughts. They were deadly serious. 

With a sharp nod from their leader, the four ninja dropped to the ground around the Foot leader's throne, weapons pointed directly at the man's neck. Without giving the man any time to process his situation, Leo leaned into the blade, pressing it against Shredder's throat. 

"Shredder." He spat the name out harshly as he tightened his hold on the blade. "Your time is up. Your sick game of hunting my family is over." At his heated words, His brothers reacted as well. 

Raph growled deep in his throat and brought his sais under the man's knee, pressing harshly against the tendons and arteries found there. The blade sprang out from Donatello's bo, and Michalangelo brought his whirling nunchuck into a striking position. 

"Suddenly, a deep laugh rang through the Shredder's helmet. It started low at first, but grew in volume as the hard, determined looks on their faces fell away. Raph grit his teeth and shoved one of the blades into the man's thigh with an animalistic roar. 

Leo quickly scanned the man, checking his hands for weapons, before jerking the blade to the side, opening a small patch of skin on his neck. The laughter fell silent and the Shredder spoke. 

"You presume to attack me in my own domain? Your actions display foolishness." Leo's eyes widened as he caught a flicker of movement. He jerked back in an attempt to step into a defensive stance when a sudden pressure pierced his thigh. 

In a split second, the remaining three were thrown back and Shredder was towering above them. Leo stared down at his thigh and bit back a curse. As soon as he processed the injury, he became suddenly aware of the pain. Shredder had stabbed him with the gauntlet. 

He suddenly felt a cold cill sweep through him, and he frantically looked for his brothers. Reality slammed back into him as he saw Mikey battling for an opening and the other two trying to get back into the fight. 

The muddled sounds cleared as he heard his name being called. "Leo, answer me RIGHT NOW!" He looked to the source of the shout and saw Donnie, whose face was tight and concerned. With a start, Leo realized he was on the ground, and struggled to get up. 

Don's eyes were flicking back and forth between his injured brother and the deadly incoming attacks. Finally, Leo found his voice. "Don, focus!" 

A loud thunk sounded as the genius brought the bo up in front of his face, effectively blocking the blades aimed at his head. "Got it Leo! Get over to April and Casey." 

Leo shook his head. "No. I'm calling a temporary retreat. Everyone out." 

Raph started to protest, but barely dodged a jab aimed at his chest. Mikey wordlessly grabbed a few smoke bombs and threw them down, purple smoke billowing throughout the room. 

When the smoke cleared, Shredder was standing alone in the empty chamber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any of you who are wondering, I will be finished with this story before this Sunday.(April 24th)
> 
> It is my goal to finish it before the show catches up with me. 
> 
> Let's see if any of my predictions come true, shall we? :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY!!!!! I'm finally getting to the part I wrote the story for! Yesssssss

Chapter 10

"Just sit down Leo!" Raph yanked the determined turtle over to the side of the building.

Leo moved away from his younger brother gently. "Raph, I just need a minute." Raph's hands returned to his shoulder almost instantly, dragging a long sigh from the leader.

Leo sent a pointed look towards Donnie, who was digging around in his bag. "Donnie, just wrap it. It startled me, that's all. We need to get back before-"

"Uh, guys?" Mikey's timid voice halted the conversation. "April and Splinter here..." Raph shoved Leo into a sitting position against the brick wall and walked quickly over to the edge.

"Ugh." He muttered angrily under his breath. "We just need one thing to go right, but does it? No!"

Donatello sighed heavily and paused his wrapping job on Leo's thigh. "It's because we're going about this too covertly. As I've said before, the best way to change something is to team up with ourselves."

The seconds dragged on, and still no one answered. Don quickly tied off the knot and stood up, breaking the silence angrily. "You know, I'm starting to believe no one think's I understand the situation!"

Raph turned abruptly, green eyes flashing with anger. "Don, you don't have the right to talk to us like that! We are all doing our best!" Don flinched as Raph started to approach him aggressively.

In the time it took him to blink, Mikey had sandwiched himself between him and Raph, who apparently was at the end of his rope.

"Raph, he knows, ok? We all have no idea what to do!" The hothead growled lowly and pushed against Mikey's outstretched hands.

April and Casey watched the unfolding scene with wide eyes, flinching as Leo's sharp voice cut in.

"Donatello, Raphael." All eyes turned to the leader, who was leaning against the wall with a slight wince.

"We don't have time for this. Raph, Mikey, you two take Casey and April down to survey the situation. Me and Donnie will scout from up here."

Don swallowed his argumentative words and nodded stiffly. As the others walked away, he groaned loudly. This situation was hopeless, but no one else could see it.

"Don."

He flinched at the frustrated tone coming from his older brother.

"What?" Crap. That had come out a lot more harsh than it was meant to.

Another sigh, and Leo walked unsteadily to the side of the building that overlooked the church. "We need to work together Donnie. I know that most of the time you follow orders pretty well, but this is one heck of a time for a temper tantrum."

That did it.

"Temper tantrum?!" He quickly stalked over to Leo. He felt his face heat up with anger as he grabbed the older turtle's shoulder. "Leo, this isn't a temper tantrum. Our last chance. That's what you're letting slip through our fingers."

A small shout reached their ears, effectively halting the heated discussion. "That didn't sound like someone surveying the situation."

Leo reached a hand up to his communicator, a frustrated frown on his face. "Report. What was that?"

Raph's voice came through the small earpiece. "That was me releasing some anger. You got a problem with that?"

Don felt a shiver of uneasiness go through him. He quickly scanned the area, gulping when dozens of shadows stared back at him. "Y-Yeah Raph. I've got a big problem with that. Um...we have a bunch of footbots surrounding us."

"What?!"

Both Don and Leo winced at the loud response. "Shredder sent them. He knows we're still here."

"But Leo," April's voice came in on the feed. "Shredder just agreed to team up. What do we do?"

"We need backup out here." Leo said as he slid out one blade. "I don't think we can hold off this many."

The comms went silent, and Donnie saw four figures emerging from the broken window. Then the first wave of footbots attacked.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April leapt over the gap between the church and the apartment building easily. As she landed, she saw Splinter leaving the old church with Shredder and his small army.

She stood indecisively for a moment before resuming her dash over the rooftops to get to the battle. Not long ago, she could barely make these wide of jumps.

As Don and Leo came into view, she pulled out her tessen, sobering immediately.

There were so many of them. She suddenly thought back to that awful winter when Leo had been separated and targeted.

As her memories turned to anger, she cut down as many foot as she could. Slowly, April felt her determination and energy overcome her, and felt her consciousness numb strangely.

Suddenly her senses returned, revealing that she was right next to the unsteady leader, a trail of smoking, destroyed footbots in her wake.

"Woah." The startled exclamation flew from Leo's mouth from pure instinct.

She blinked heavily, turning her head to Leo in confusion. "What...what just happened?"

"Your eyes went all glowy," Mikey offered helpfully, shouting above the battle. "And then you just went into super mode or something."

She shook her head to clear the persistent fog from her mind, cutting down any footbot that got too close.

As she stuck by Leo, warding off the incoming attacks, something kept nudging at her mind.

She felt odd, like she was forgetting about something extremely important. Like something big was missing.

April straightened and focused on the feeling, searching the area around her with her eyes and her mind.

"Guys, where is Donnie?!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo felt April stiffen behind him and cast a glance over his shoulder. "April," he questioned quietly.

Her eyes were wide, flitting around the area wildly. Leo stepped back and solidly bumped her shoulder as he tried to keep the ring of footbots around them at bay.

To his dismay, April merely lurched a little before steadying almost immediately.

"April, what's wrong?" He lurched around to April's side, pushing the line of footbots back.

Suddenly, the girl jerked backwards a step and gasped before locking her eyes with Leo.

"Guys, where is Donnie?!"

The shrill cry startled him, and he glanced around in confusion. The purple banded turtle was nowhere to be found. "Donnie?" He bellowed the call as loud as he could muster, but there was no answer.

Similar shouts were echoed as his brother's realized that one of them was missing. Leo quickly took out his shell cell as panic took over.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donatello ignored the persistent buzzing from the phone pressed up against his shell, indicating that his brothers were trying desperately to reach him. He blinked hard against the cold air rushing against his face, bringing tears to his eyes as he sprinted over the rooftops at a breakneck speed.

He glanced up in frustration at the star filled sky, unpolluted with the typical light pollution.

Leaving his brothers in the middle of the fight was beyond stupid. He chided himself angrily. In his momentary distraction, he stumbled. He gasped sharply as his toe caught on the rough gravel, causing his feet to slide out from under him.

He reached out his hands in pure instinct as he plummeted to the rooftop, eyes watering as the sharp rocks dug into his palms.

Donnie lowered himself to his elbows and pressed his forehead to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath. He stood shakily after a moment and rubbed his hands together, loosening the small fragments of rock sticking to his palms.

Donnie knew that the plan originally had promise, but the chances of success were dwindling rapidly. He ran the numbers.

He would be more helpful elsewhere.

The others could handle themselves.

With a deep breath, Donnie started running again, clenching his fists tightly to stop the sluggish flow of blood that was slowly squeezing out from between his damaged fingers.

Donnie checked his surroundings once more, just to make sure he was still headed towards the park where the black hole generator was placed. If everything went according to his plan, he would be in place to stop the machine before it was too late.

They needed more than one plan in place. They wouldn't ever have another chance to save earth.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 

Leo strangled back the angry shout welling in his throat. The battle had finally died down, and Leo had managed to activate the tracker in Don's phone. When he had located Donatello's signal, all of his panicked energy had switched to rage almost instantly. 

He ditched them. 

They immediately set off in pursuit of the moving signal, with every person in the group buzzing with irritation. 

With both Mikey and Raph following him closely, Leo did his best to mask the discomfort radiating in his leg. 

He glanced towards Mikey, who was calling the missing turtle repeatedly. "Come on Dee, answer!"

"Give it a break Mikey," Leo called back to his anxious little brother. "Don's fine. If he doesn't want to answer he won't." 

April, who was leading the group, came to a stop suddenly. "Hey, I think I found something!" Casey pulled up alongside her and flipped up his mask.

Leo slowed to a stop next to April and Casey, glancing down at the surface of the roof. Deep scuff marks marked the gravel. Leo rubbed a small dark spot on the ground and frowned. 

"It looks like he fell and probably hurt his hands. He must have really been pushing himself hard if he fell." He traced the direction of the disturbed gravel and put a hand to the side of his face tiredly. 

Leo glanced between the scuff marks and the direction the tiny blip on his phone screen was moving a few times and groaned. "He's going to Central Park."

"What's he planning on doing there?" Casey asked in annoyance. "One person isn't going to make much of a difference." 

Dread settled heavy in Leo's stomach, cold and hard. "I think he's going to try something stupid." 

"No duh," Raph muttered from the back of the group. 

Leo stood up quickly, a cold terror urging him to get to his younger brother's side as soon as possible. "We need to get to him, now!" 

Without warning, he took off towards the park, pushing himself forward as fast as he could. He quickly tucked his phone away in his, gritting his teeth through the sharp pain in his thigh. 

Hurried, frantic footsteps clattered softly behind them as the rest of his family also pushed past their limits, a single goal in mind. 

Hurry.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don pushed through the exhaustion as he neared the park. Bright flashes of orange light could bee seen from the Triceraton's teleportation beams. 

His pace had noticeably slowed as he neared his destination. As he heaved air in through his aching lungs, he wondered if the time in space had affected their lungs. 

Spending so much time breathing pure, oxygen rich air would definitely make their return to New York a shock to their systems. 

Donatello jolted as he suddenly heard faint voices shouting his name. Risking a glance back, he saw his brothers gaining on him rapidly. 

"Are...you...kidding?!" He whipped his head back around and felt his heart jump into his throat. "Ah!" 

Donnie quickly skidded to a stop, letting out a heavy breath as he stabilized himself on the edge of the building overlooking Central Park. 

Mission: Don't fall off the Roof, Success.

As the voices behind him grew closer, he stared down at the scene below, scanning for information and running quick calculations. 

Don stilled as his brown eyes found the figure of his father amongst the chaos, fighting alongside Saki.

Don drifted into a determined haze and felt his body begin to move on its own, leaping fluidly down to the battlefield. Never taking his eyes off his father, he entered the chaotic area, dodging and ducking his way towards the dark gleaming metal weapon in the center of it all. 

Yards away, he watched as his father made a beeline towards the device with his hand outstretched. Desperation was written all over his face, his focus solely on the countdown mechanism. 

No.

Don sprinted in earnest towards the horrid man that was directly (so close, too close, get AWAY) behind his master, his teacher, his father. 

Not again.

When Splinter's fingers were mere feet from the countdown, Don shoved himself directly in Shredder's path. 

Blood roared in his ears as time slowed to a stop. 

He turned his head boldly to met the cold, dead eyes of Ooroku Saki under the metal helmet. 

His father's murderer. 

He found himself unable to tear his gaze away from those horrible eyes as they registered the individual placed in front of him. 

Don watched with growing fascination as the man's eyes narrowed in pure and utter hatred. Tilting his chin up defiantly, he calmed his expression and put on a determined smirk even as the twin blades extended from the gauntlet. 

Suddenly a light, clear sound broke through the loud pulse in his head and across the park as Splinter's fingers collided with the countdown mechanism.

Ping

The Heart of Darkness let out a low whirring noise as it slowly shut itself down.

Relief blossomed fervently in his chest even as the blades were shoved deep into the hard, protective keratin layer of his plastron. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What.

That was the only thing running through Raphael's mind. 

What the heck was his (supposedly smart) little brother doing.

Freakin' idiot. 

After pursuing their fleeing target for over six minutes, the angry, panicked adrenaline was all that was keeping him ahead of the group. 

Suddenly, between harsh breaths, April spoke. "I think he's just ahead!"

Squinting his eyes, Raph nodded as he made out a blurred shape in the distance. 

"Donatello!" He yelled the name as forcefully as he could muster with his limited lung capacity. 

Slowly, he watched as the minuscule blob morphed into a vague outline of his brother. They were gaining on him! 

"Donatello, stop!" 

Soon, his angered shouts were accompanied by the others behind him. Eventually, the figure seemed to falter and jerk to a stop. Before anyone registered what was happening, he dropped out of view. 

With a jolt of horror, Raph recognized the park just ahead. 

Don had beat them to the battle.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that just happened. 
> 
> But don't panic quite yet guys. I still have a bit more to give! :)

Chapter 12

Leo ran to the edge of the building where Donatello had stood moments before. The others pulled up alongside him as Leo raked his eyes over the area frantically. 

As he spotted his little brother at last, relief was not one of the feelings he was experiencing. 

His little brother was charging mindlessly at the Shredder. 

Leo screamed. "Donnie!" 

The entire group rushed down from the building, looking on in growing horror as Splinter and Oroku Saki neared the black hole generator. 

"No!" Raph this time, the word coming out as a warning, a command.

"Stop, please!" Mikey, choking out the desperate plea.

Don's determined form slipped behind their father and turned calmly, chin raised high in defiance. 

Paying no mind to the confusion from those left in their wake, a last, bloodcurdling cry caused every head to turn. 

"DONNIE!" 

An eery silence settled heavy over the park as a clear sound chimed out from the deactivating weapon, their Father's fingers pressed firmly against it.

Directly behind him, Shredder punched his arm forward, plunging the gauntlet directly into the tall turtle's chest. 

Leo's vision tunneled, fading to a pinpoint as a calm smirk spread on Donatello's face. He was so fixated on his brother (stabbed in the chest; definite internal injuries) that he didn't register the moment his father turned in shock, or even the horrible, aching lump growing in his own throat.

With a sickening jerk, Shredder removed the blades abruptly and turned to face the stunned group. Behind the menacing figure, Donatello clutched at his chest and slowly lowered himself to the ground as he pressed down weakly against the gushing wounds. 

"Donatello?!" 

Master Splinter quickly took in the sight, flicking his eyes between the turtles at the edge of the square, and the distraught ones nearest to him. A series of emotions flickered across his face before he charged at his lifelong enemy in fury, breaking the spell of shock. 

With a scream of outrage, Raph hurtled himself at the man who was menacingly fighting his way towards them. 

Leo bolted past the sudden chaos, skidding to a stop before falling to his knees beside his injured brother. Who hadn't made a sound through the entire thing. "Donnie?" 

As glazed, unfocused brown eyes squinted up at him, a small smile appeared on Donatello's pale face. "Master Splinter s-stopped the countdown..."

Before Leo could even think of how to respond, Raph and Mikey dropped down beside him. 

"How is he?" Raph's voice was scratchy from overuse and emotion. 

Mikey immediately pushed Donnie's weak hands away from the wound. "Not good." The statement came out as a whisper as he placed his own hands over the deep punctures. 

April and Casey crept up cautiously behind Mikey, who was pressing his hands desperately against the flow of blood escaping the wounds in his brother's plastron.

"Here Mikey, use this." In a split second, Casey had stripped off his sweatshirt and folded it, placing it on Donatello's chest as soon as Mikey lifted his hands. 

Raph and Leo turned and began patting Don's face gently and asking questions in an effort to keep him awake and alert. 

Donnie, what was that new computer that was going to come out?

Don, how many fingers am I holding up?

Donatello, what do you call a group of rabbits?

As the sounds of battle continued, the injured turtle's responses became slower and slurred. 

"We need to get him medical help, now.," Mikey shouted. 

The amount of authority emanating from the youngest brother's statement was startling, and Leo looked around helplessly.

As his head turned, the sight that greeted him made his mouth drop open speechlessly. The past versions of themselves were fighting furiously alongside Splinter...as if they were on a vengeance quest. 

"When d-did they get h-here?" Leo jumped and glanced back down at Donnie, who had a pained grimace on his face.

Leo shrugged and tightened his hold on Donatello's clammy blood slicked hand. 

"I'm not sure, but they're kicking Shredder's butt." 

Don nodded and took in another shallow, rattling breath before coughing weakly. Leo nearly began to hyperventilate as specks of blood appeared on his brother's pale lips. 

Raph quickly lifted his younger brother's head onto his lap and began rattling off meaningless comforts. "Don. Donnie, we've got you. Hold still for me, alright? Breathe." 

Leo gently brought the genius's bloodied hand up to press against his own chest. "In and out. Just take it easy, we'll be out of here soon." 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo stared in shock from across the park as he saw Donatello shove his way in front of Splinter, taking the blow that was meant for him. He frantically looked back to his left, only to see the lanky turtle exactly where he had been seconds earlier. 

"Don, what's going on?" Leo asked gently. The genius's eyes were locked onto the copies of them on the other side of the park as his mouth worked wordlessly. 

As the other turtle fell to the ground, Don's face paled. "I'm not s-sure Leo. It's us, but...I'm guessing time travel?" 

"Time travel?" Raph questioned incredulously. "From when?" 

Don swallowed back the rising bile in his throat as heart wrenching screams reached his ears. 

"They are probably from the future. They were trying to prevent something..."

Mikey moved closer to the genius, grabbing on to his arm for reassurance. "You...he saved Splinter."

Leo fought back the urge to go run to the other turtles, to break down alongside them.

No. Donatello was here. He was fine. 

"Let's go help Splinter, maybe it will give them some cover."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Mikey bit his lower lip as he pressed his hands against the hot, sopping material. The bleeding hadn't stopped or even slowed down, even with the constant pressure. Itt had quickly saturated the worn sweatshirt and slowly coagulating blood had welled up between his fingers. 

As Mikey turned his eyes back to Donnie's incoherent, colorless face, Mikey felt a strange, electrifying jolt run throughout his body. A quiet gasp from the others revealed that they had felt it too. 

"Woah!"

Everyone stared at one another in confusion as another wave hit, accompanied by a strong pulling sensation. 

Don's form went rigid suddenly, tensing from the mixture of weakness, pain, and the sudden odd sensation. 

"T...time." The slurred word managed to make it past Donatello's clenched teeth in a determined hiss. 

Mikey leaned over His prone brother's form, a question written on his worried face. "What was that about time Donnie?"

Before he could answer, another jolt rocked their bodies. Casey and April sank slowly to the ground as it faded.

Don inhaled sharply - a watery, desperate rattling sound - as he attempted to get enough air in his lugs to speak. A thin line of blood ran out the corner of his mouth and onto the pavement below. 

"Con...c'nver...gence." As yet another wave shook the group, everyone watched in disbelief as their bodies began to flicker in and out of reality erratically. 

Don's eyes slid closed, and his form relaxed into unconsciousness. Mikey began to scream frantically for him to wake up, to keep his eyes open. 

The pull became infinitely stronger even as Raph and Leo turned the unresponsive Donatello on his side in a desperate attempt to clear his airways of fluid. 

Mikey struggled to keep pressure on the cloth as he felt his body flipping maddeningly between different levels of tangibility. 

In one horrible moment, he watched helplessly as his hands, as well as everyone around him, faded away before his world was engulfed in a blinding light. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Splinter fought mindlessly against the horrid man. The man who had once been a friend, a brother. 

The man who continued to hunt down his family decades after a feud over a woman they both loved dearly. 

The man who abducted his and Tang Shen's only daughter, and raised her in an environment of hate and danger. 

The man who was so twisted as to mutate and hold his Miwa - no, Karai - captive in order to control her.

The man who mercilessly separated his eldest son and worn him down until he was barely able to stand. Who tortured and toyed with Leonardo before cutting him down in cold blood.

The man who he had turned to in a time of need, only to be betrayed in the worst way.

Who had just put his blades through his most gentle and peaceful son.

All of this and more. Oroku Saki committed these actions in order to get to HIM. 

So if Saki wanted a fight, he was sure as shell going to get one. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leo nearly faltered, ducking quickly to avoid a deadly swipe aimed at his head, wincing as his mask tails caught on the crimson stained blades. 

He glanced around quickly at his brothers, who all had a slightly disturbed look on their faces. Even as they continued landing blows and dodging strikes, strange tremors seemed to be going through them repeatedly. 

Leo made up his mind and shouted to his brothers. "You guys are feeling this too!"

Affirmative nod's came from around the group and Leo bit his lip. He cast a quick glance over to the second group and blinked. "Guys, they're disappearing!" 

As the others looked as well, sudden shouts of alarm came from April and Casey, who were driving the Triceratons back alongside Shredder's lackeys and the Mutanimals. 

A split second later, the four turtles dropped to the ground, gripping their chests in alarm. It felt as if a huge cavern had opened up inside them, leaving a gaping emptiness that was demanding to be fixed. 

As an immensely white light flashed behind their eyes, thousands of memories that they had never experienced flooded into their minds.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Donatello sat up and gasped, feeling his lungs expand rapidly. His hand flew to his chest, searching for the fatal wound that had been there minutes before. He felt his breathing escalate as his mind attempted to comprehend the events that had just occurred. 

He felt a sudden panic as various memories flashed behind his eyes. Six months of new information. A lost timeline, merged into one. Bile rose in his throat as he tried to make sense of the information that had been shoved into his head. 

He quickly leaned over and heaved, still feeling the ghost of the gauntlet embedded in his chest. Was he really the same Donatello that had been dying on the ground minutes earlier? 

His vision wavered as a migraine cut it's way between his eyes and he groaned in pain. 

Mere feet away, his brothers were experiencing the same overwhelming feelings of confusion and panic. 

In the moment of chaos, Saki managed to kick Splinter in the knee, sending him crashing to the ground before slipping away into the shadows. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grief. Pain. Loss. 

Emotions so immensely powerful and distressing were consuming him. 

His father. Their friends and allies. Karai. Earth.

Six long months worth of fighting, regret, and grieving. It was being condensed into a single moment. 

Leo became lost in the riptide of memories and fell, feeling like he was drowning. 

As soon as Saki had retreated, Splinter picked himself up off the ground and ran to the shaking, sobbing, and pain ridden turtles. 

He didn't understand everything, but he had seen enough to piece some of the story together. 

As he moved between them in an effort to get some form of response, Leatherhead came over, carefully holding two teenage humans who were in nearly the exact same condition. 

"Set them here." Splinter gently moved his sons closer to make room for April an Casey. 

Sweat shone bright on their skin, and they looked like they were trapped in the worst nightmare imaginable. 

Eventually, it seemed as though the team was calming down, although they were all gripping their heads in obvious pain. 

Just as the battle seemed to be dying down, hundreds of bright orange beams flashed down from the sky. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donatello glanced up as hundreds of Triceraton warriors appeared in the park. Quickly, they closed in on the resisting groups, effectively surrounding them. 

Running out of options, the group around him stood up shakily before falling into defensive stances. As the tension in the air grew, an enormous flash of blue light lit up the night sky, announcing the arrival of the Ulixes. 

"Yes!" Mikey shouted before gripping his head again, immediately regretting his loud outburst. "Fugitoid's here!" 

The Ulixes pulled to a stop over the Heart of Darkness and began firing on the Triceratons. The ship opened, and the professor leapt to the ground beside the circular device. 

"Everyone, take cover!" As he spoke, his robotic body unfolded to expose the orange reactor core. 

"Oh shell," Leo muttered. "Run!" 

Immediately, everyone began sprinting away from the park, weaving past the Triceratons, who were focusing their fire on the Ulixes. 

Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the ground, filling the air with a singing heat.

Despite the distance they gained, Leo felt himself beiing thrown forwards by the shock of the blast. As he snapped his head back to look at the damage, he gaped as a beam of yellow light was cutting it's way into the star filled sky. 

Finally, the energy faded. Cautiously, Leo lead the way back into the park. 

There were scattered piles of ash scattering with the wind, but the most impressive sight was the Heart of Darkness. 

The weapon lay in the epicenter of the blast, twisted, smoking, and glowing red hot in many areas. 

"Did..." Raph spoke up in an extremely awed and uncertain voice. "Did Fugitoid do all this?"

No one answered as the Ulixes was spotted a ways off. It was lying on it's side, blackened and destroyed. 

The silence stretched on for nearly twenty minutes as the area was scoured for survivors. 

Finally, Donatello had been the voice of reason. 

"I think he overloaded himself to destroy the black hole generator." Don's voice was barely a whisper, but it was deafening in the utter silence of the park. 

Ash blew past their feet silently as the news sunk in.

Leo spoke up hesitantly. "Why...why would he be willing to sacrifice so much for earth, for a planet that wasn't even his home?"

"I don't know," Mikey answered quietly. "But I think we should all be thankful that he cared." The youngest turtle walked over to the Professor's ship and turned with a small smile. 

"Besides, I don't think he could be destroyed that easily. I bet we'll see him again."

Raph snorted before nodding. "Yeah, he's too tough." 

He paused to rub at his forehead before turning towards the nearest manhole cover. "But for now, I think we are all going to need some serious therapy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm finally finished with this story! 
> 
> Ever since I watched Annhialation: Earth, I couldn't get these scenes out of my head. So far, the show has been following my predictions pretty well. 
> 
> I just cannot wait for tomorrow's episode. 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. Keep being amazing!


End file.
